Folding hand-bag.



s.1.' PROKESCH.

FOLDING HAND BAG.

APPLICATION FIRED MAR.26. 1915.

1,148,4M, Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A INVENTOR SamueZJPm/rasa.

ATTORNEY S. J. PROKESCH.

FOLDING HAND BAG. APPLICATION FILED MAR.26, 191s.

Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v .INV/V TOR Samuel L/Pmesafi A ITOR/VEY SAMUEL J. PROKESCH, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING HAND-BAG.

niaaaoa.

Application filed March 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL J PRoKEsoH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Folding Hand-Bag, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to hand bags of that type having a flexible bag which can be folded into a plurality of folds whereby the depth or the capacity of the bag can be changed at will.

The invention has for its general objects to improve the construction of bags of the character referred to so as to be reliable and cflicient in use, comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and so designed that the fastening and unfastening of the folds can be easily and quickly effected.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide improved means for mounting the fasteners at one side of the bag adjacent the mouth or opening, by applying a reinforce between the body of the bag and its lining to stiffen the bag at a point where the strain takes place during the engaging and disengaging of complementary fasteners arranged on the bag at such points as to enable the bag to be folded in one or more folds.

In carrying out the invention a reinforcing means is applied to the top part of the bag at one side between the lining and outer material, which reinforce may be a strip or pieces of cardboard which overlie the fasteners or are secured thereto, such reinforcing means being secured to the frame of the bag or to the bag itself independently of the frame, the purpose of the reinforce being to stiffen the bag at the point where the push and pull strain is applied when snapping and unsnapping the fasteners.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention comprises various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the following description and claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate certain embodiments of the invention and wherein similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bag shown open and portions being broken away; Fig. 2 is an, edge view of the bag Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Serial No. 17,229.

folded once; Fig. 3 is a similar view of the bag folded twice; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the upper or mouth part of the bag; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55, Fig. 4; Figs. 6, 8, 10 and 12 are Vertical sections taken longitudinally of the mouth or open part of the bag, showing various forms of the invention; and Figs. 7, 9, 11 and 13 are vertical sections of the forms of the invention shown in Figs. 6, 8, 10 and 12, respectively.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a bag of any suitable flexible material which has at its opening or mouth a frame B composed as usual of two hingedly connected frame sections 1 and 2 adapted to interfit, the handle 3 being connected with the section 1. The side of the bag to which the frame section 1 is fastened is provided with stud fasteners 4 with which either set of complementary socket fasteners 5 or 6 are adapted to engage to enable the bag to be folded, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. One set of socket fasteners is disposed on oneside of the bag and the other on the opposite side. It will be understood, however, that socket fasteners may be applied at the top of the bag instead of the studs 4, and studs may be used at the bottom of the bag in place of the socket fasteners 5 and 6.

. In snapping and unsnapping the fasteners considerable strain is placed upon the bag at the frame section 1, and to relieve this strain and to provide a more rigid structure, a reinforce C is applied to the bag at the fasteners 4. This reinforce, according to the preferred construction, consists of a strip of cardboard or equivalent material of such length as to extend approximately across the top of the bag, and this strip is inserted between the lining 7 and the bag proper, and the strip is fastened to the frame section 1 by the rivets 8 that fasten the bag to the frame section. The base or rivet portions 4 of the studs 4 pass through the reinforce C as well as through the material of the bag, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but if desired the stud fasteners 4 need not pierce the reinforcing strip C, but lie in front of the same, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

In Figs. 8 and 9 the reinforcing strip C is held in place by the base or rivet portions 4 of the studs which pierce the reinforce C, and on these studs may be arranged washers 9. It will be noted by comparing Fig. 8

with Fig. 4 that in the former figure the upper edge of the reinforcing strip G is free from the adjacent frame section.

Instead of employing a reinforcing strip the reinforcing means may be in the form of pieces of cardboard C which are riveted to the frame section 1, and through which the rivet portions of the studs extend, whereby the studs will be fastened to the reinforcing means C as well as the body of the bag.

Still another modification consists in securing the ends of the reinforcing strip C by stitching 10, whereby the ends of the strip are sewed to the bag. In all cases the lining 7 covers the reinforcing means so that a neat and attractive appearance is obtained;

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method of operation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation, together with the article which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the article shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A'handbag comprising a foldable body,

a frame composed of hingedly connected sec- 7 tions fastened to the opening of the body, a

plurality of sets of fasteners arranged on the body at one side of the opening and ad jacent the bottom of the body, and reinforcing strip separate from the frame and arranged within the body for the upper set of fasteners. V

2. A folding hand bag comprising a flexible body, a lining for the body, a frame consisting of sections fastened to the edges of the opening of the body, a fastener on the body'atone slde' and adjacent the opening, a fastener on the bodyadjacent the bottom and adapted to interlock with the first-mentioned fastener, and a stiff reinforcing element inserted between the lining and body and secured with respect to the latter in a position to reinforce the bag at the firstmentioned fastener.

3. A foldable hand bag comprising a flexible body having an opening, a frame composed of sections fastened to the edges of the opening, a strip of stiff material fastened along its top edge to one of the frame sections and located within the said body, fasteners applied to the body at the said strip, and complementary fasteners arranged on the body for engaging with the first-mentioned fasteners to hold the body folded.

4. A foldable hand bag comprising a flexible body having an opening, a frame composed of sections fastened to the edges of the opening, a strip of stiff material, means fastening the strip to one of the frame sections, fasteners applied to the body at the said strip, and complementary fasteners arranged on the body for engaging with the first-mentioned fasteners to hold the body folded, the first-mentioned fasteners having rivet portions passing through the said strip to cooperate with the said means for securing the strip in place.

5. A hand bag comprising a flexible body adapted to be folded and having an opening, a frame consisting of sections fastened to the edges of the opening, fasteners secured to the body at one side adjacent the opening, fasteners secured to the body remote from the opening for engaging with the first-men- SAMUEL J. PROKESCH.

Witnesses:

G. BRADWAY, PHILIP D. RoLLHAUs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratents,

- Washington, D. G. 

